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Slow Cooker Madras Beef Curry with Vegetables

This Madras Curry is a warming dish that is perfect for a cool evening. This slow cooker beef curry recipe brings deep, comforting flavors and tender meat with little effort. 

This Madras Curry is a warming dish that is perfect for a cool evening. This slow cooker beef curry brings deep, comforting flavors and tender meat with little effort. | www.CuriousCuisiniere.com

How To Make Indian Curry

Curry is such a broad label. Ingredients and nuances don’t just vary between regions, but even between households. We’ve heard it described as similar to pasta sauce in Italy or BBQ sauce in the States.

All curries are not alike, and they don’t all have the same spice level.

So, if you thought you wouldn’t be a fan of curry because they’re too spicy, think again!

(In fact, my “mild-salsa-is-too-spicy” father was quite impressed when we had him try his first curry.)

If you love heat, you can definitely dial the heat up to your heart’s content.

But, if you’re not a heat lover, you can just as easily dial the heat down to a quite comfortable level of flavorful, yet not even glowing.

Overhead image of Beef Madras Curry with Vegetables and rice and naan flatbread. | www.CuriousCuisiniere.com

Different Types of Indian Curry

Indian curries are characterized by the use of a blend of dry spices. (Whereas Thai curries use a spice and chili paste.)

These spices can include anise, bay, cardamom, cinnamon, chilies, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, garlic, ginger, mustard seed, nutmeg and turmeric, among others.

In Northern India, you will find it common to serve curries with flatbread, like naan. These are the types of curries often found in the US. They contain a variety of meats and vegetables with dairy (cream, yogurt, or butter) to give them a creamy texture.

Southern Indian curries lean a bit on the spicier side, with more emphasis on chilies. Lentils are often used, and curries are commonly served with rice.

Eastern Indian curries are more savory than spicy and rely heavily on onions for flavor and texture.

Western Indian curries tend towards the spicy and sweet category, favoring a pinch of sugar to curb the heat. These are often served alongside dal, a lentil soup.

Madras Beef Curry with Vegetables and rice and naan flatbread. | www.CuriousCuisiniere.com

Madras Curry

While our Potato Curry with Paneer is more of a North Indian style curry, a Madras curry hails from the southern region, where curries do tend to have a bit more heat.

For our Madras Beef Curry, we start by toasting the spices to bring out the flavor and fragrance.

Could you just throw them into the slow cooker if you’re short on time?

We’re already skipping a step by using ground spices rather than toasting whole spices here, so sure, you could just skip the toasting all together. But, it does add a depth of flavor to the dish, so if you have the time, we highly recommend it.

You’re going to be getting out the skillet to sear your meat and saute your onions anyway, so you may as well!

This Madras Curry is a warming dish that is perfect for a cool evening. This slow cooker beef curry brings deep, comforting flavors and tender meat with little effort. | www.CuriousCuisiniere.com

What Beef To Use In The Slow Cooker

Chuck roast is the classic roast you would choose for pot roast. It becomes super moist and tender when braised low and slow.

Even though we’re cutting our roast into bite-sized chunks for this curry, we want it to be super tender after the time in the slow cooker, and a chuck roast is the perfect (and quite economical) choice here.

To add to the flavor of our curry, we sear the cubes of beef before putting them into the slow cooker. This seals the juices into each piece and adds another layer of caramelized flavor to the dish.

This Madras Curry is a warming dish that is perfect for a cool evening. This slow cooker beef curry brings deep, comforting flavors and tender meat with little effort. | www.CuriousCuisiniere.com

An Easy Slow Cooker Beef Curry

After just a few prep work steps in your skillet, the crock pot takes over. Then all the flavors of this beef curry simmer and stew together on their own.

And, while it cooks the aroma of all those warming spices makes the house smell WONDERFUL!

Just before serving, we stir some yogurt and a little lemon juice into the curry. This adds a pop of bright flavor to the deep spices and brings a creaminess to the dish that contrasts nicely with the spice of the chili powder.

Madras Beef Curry with Vegetables and rice. | www.CuriousCuisiniere.com
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4.86 from 7 votes

Slow Cooker Madras Beef Curry with Vegetables

This Madras Curry is a warming dish that is perfect for a cool evening. This slow cooker beef curry brings deep flavors and tender meat with little effort.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 45 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: beef, curry
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 447kcal
Author: Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere

Ingredients

  • 4 tsp paprika
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp chili powder*
  • 1 Tbsp garam masala
  • 1 Tbsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 ½ lb chuck roast, cubed 3/4”
  • 1 Tbsp oil or ghee
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 lbs potatoes, (russet or Yukon Gold) scrubbed and cut into 3/4” chunks
  • 2 large green peppers, cut into 3/4” chunks
  • 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp brown sugar
  • 2 c beef stock (we prefer low sodium)
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ c plain yogurt, room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  • In a medium skillet, toast spices (paprika, chili powder, garam masala, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon) over medium heat until fragrant, 30 seconds – 1 minute. Remove them from the heat into a bowl to avoid burning the spices.
  • Place half of the beef cubes in the skillet and brown on all sides over high heat,1-2 minutes. Place the browned cubes in the bowl of your crock pot, and repeat with the remaining cubes.
  • Add oil or ghee to the skillet along with the diced onion and garlic. Sauté over medium-high heat until golden, 3-4 min. Place in the crock pot over the beef.
  • Add the toasted spices, potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and brown sugar to the slow cooker. 
  • Mix the beef stock with the tomato paste, to dissolve the paste. Pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker. 
  • Cover and cook over high heat for 3-4 hours or low heat for 6-7 hours, until simmering nicely.
  • Before serving, mix in the yogurt and lemon juice. Cook for an additional 10 minutes to warm through.
  • Serve with rice, 
    .

Notes

*1 Tbsp of chili powder gives this curry a light, warming heat. If you love spice, feel free to dial it up to your preferred spice level. 
 
This recipe from  2014 was updated in January 2019. We made a few tweaks to make the curry even better. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 447kcal | Protein: 43.7g | Fat: 10.3g | Saturated Fat: 3.6g | Fiber: 7.7g

We’ve updated our pictures since we first shared this recipe on Curious Cuisiniere, but we’ve left some originals here, in case you’ve found us in the past and are looking for that old, familiar image.

This Madras Curry is a warming dish that is perfect for a cool evening. This slow cooker beef curry brings deep flavors and tender meat with little effort. - Curious Cuisiniere
TThis Madras Curry is a warming dish that is perfect for a cool evening. This slow cooker beef curry brings deep flavors and tender meat with little effort. | www.curiouscuisiniere.com
Recipe Rating




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David C

Thursday 22nd of October 2020

It came out really nicely, well flavoured. I added a bit more spice for my liking. Unfortunately using russet potatoes as a substitute I cut them too large and they remained too firm by the time the peppers were cooked, so I will adjust for next time. Thanks for a great recipe!

Sarah Ozimek

Wednesday 28th of October 2020

Glad you enjoyed it. Getting potatoes the right thickness to cook through in a slow cooker is always tricky.

Sarah Reid

Thursday 19th of February 2015

We love our curry here! this looks so yummy!

theninjabaker

Wednesday 15th of October 2014

Mmmm. Love the idea of stirring in yogurt to Indian curry. It is interesting that even within India there are big differences. (I love Japanese curry which landed in the country via India. But it is quite different from the real deal, too!)

Cindy Kerschner

Monday 13th of October 2014

I love those flavors in there!

Amee Beck Livingston

Monday 13th of October 2014

Curry is one of my favorite spices, but I haven't used it with beef before. I can't wait to try this one, looks delicious!

Sarah

Tuesday 14th of October 2014

Thanks Amee!

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